Blurring the Lines
by xElementFivex
Summary: Mello's roommate, Matt, is definitely straight and not up for any sort of man-sex. And Mello is definitely okay with that. Sort of. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**New. Hope it makes you smile. AU**

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Mello sighed in pleasure at the visage layed out before him. Matt's back, supple and arching over the bed, red hair in a wild tangle, splaying out over the crisp cotton sheets. In the next second, Mello's mouth met Matt's and a fiery, passionate heat spread through the blonde's veins like wildfire. Matt broke the kiss, ghosting his lips across Mello's cheekbone to his ear, and whispered-

"Hey Mello, hand me the milk, would ya?"

"Hmmm, what?" Mello lifted his head off the kitchen table and glanced around blearily. He blinked several times, eyes sliding in and out of focus. He could feel his body begging for more sleep, the muscles behind his eyes twitching, despite the cheerful rays of sun poking through the window. "It's all the way over on the counter. Get it yourself." He turned his weary gaze to the boy sitting across from him.

Matt ran a hand through his unruly red locks. "Well, I would, but I figured it would be better to ask you to do it. You know, I gotta do my part to keep you up and alert so you don't fall face first into your Cocoa Puffs."

"How very thoughtful of you," Mello replied sarcastically, swinging his tired body out of his chair and trudging over to the counter. _Why_, he thought, _does Real Matt have to interrupt Dream Matt everytime?_ He shot a covert glance at Matt, who was playing a handheld video game with one hand, and shoveling down dry cereal with the other. At times like this, he sure as hell wasn't sexy looking. He wasn't even- Wait no, that was a lie. Matt was sexy all the time. _But you know what else Matt is all the time_, he thought viciously to himself_, straight. Straight, straight, straight._

Mello scrambled quickly for something else to say as he handed Matt the milk and sat back down at the table, anything to stop the dangerous train of thought he was on. The train of thought that inevitably ended up with him banging his head repeatedly with the refrigerator door and loudly lamenting Matt's overwhelming straightness. God, why did he have to be so Straight? "Where were you last night?" Mello asked finally, casting his gaze up through his ruffled blonde bangs without lifting his head off the table. "I closed the restaurant last night so I got home at two, but I didn't see your car."

Matt smirked. "I was up all night with Misa. We-"

"Ugghhhh, spare me the details, please. It is too early to hear about your sexual conquests. I haven't even finished breakfast yet."

"Oh good, then I can tell you what she let me-"

In one quick movement, Mello launched himself across the table, barely missing his bowl of cereal, and clapped a hand over Matt's mouth, mercifully muffling any further speech.

"Your in-depth exploration of the female genitalia aside, have any plans this weekend?"

Matt pried Mello's fingers off his face. "Jeez Mello, you could really use a chick, you know that?"

Mello sighed, returned to his seat, and stared into his Cocoa Puffs. Sighing again, heavily, he said, "No thanks. Chicks irritate me." _Besides, why would I want a girl, when I could have a red-headed, video-game-playing, loser like you?_

"Your pessimism never ceases to amaze me," Matt said around another mouthful of cereal.

"Remind me why I let you live here again?" Mello glared.

"I pay half the rent and I was the only one crazy enough to answer your ad. 'Attractive blonde male seeks roommate. No smokers, body-builders, or uglies please.' Really, it was pure genius, Mello."

"Yeah, about that," Mello furrowed his eyebrows and looked quizzically at Matt. "I specifically said no smokers."

Matt coughed and glanced up at the ceiling."Do you have a point?"

"You know, I could get another roommate anytime I want. You weren't the only one to answer my ad. I had three other guys come and interview."

"Uh-huh, and what happened to the first one again?"

Mello fidgeted slightly. "He smelled like cats. Come on, how am I supposed to live with someone who smells like my grandma's couch?"

"And the second one?"

"He spoke in the third person."

"The third?"

"Overbite.

"So basically," Matt said, pushing his chair away from the table, and dumping his cereal bowl in the sink to join an already massive pile of unwashed dishes, "I got the room because I smell good, use pronouns, and don't have any glaringly obvious dental defects?"

"That's really all I'm looking for out of a roommate." _That and someone to have amazing sex with me. Really, is it so much to ask?_

Apparently so. Mello gave up on continued conversation as Matt meandered into the living room of their tiny apartment and settled himself in his well-established spot on the couch to play X-Box or Playstation or whatever the hell it was he spent all day doing. _Damn, lucky kid, _Mello thought, _Wish I had money from my parents. Maybe then I wouldn't have to work this shitty, clusterfuck job as a waiter. Fuck you Matt. Fuck you and your girlfriend and your straightness, and your no job, and your stupid video games, and your smoking, and your-_

"Hey Mells, the doorbell just rang."

_Oh god, I love you. _Mello snarled in disgust-mostly at himself. No matter how much he convinced himself over and over that Matt was straight, unavailable, and utterly uninterested in his psycho nut-case of a roommate, just the sound of the red-head's voice still sent Mello into some of his most frantic daydreams. "I'm coming, I'm coming," he said wearily, dragging himself away from the kitchen table. He didn't even bother asking why Matt couldn't get the door. The gamer was as lazy as he was attractive.

Mello hauled his tired body over the door, wincing slightly when he realized that he would soon have to go back to the restaurant and work another double-shift. Fuck this earning money shit, it was hard. He was so busy silently raging over job, that he didn't even bother looking out the peephole in the front door before swinging it open. He caught just one glimpse of light blue jeans, a white button-down shirt, and head of hair so platinum blonde it could be easily mistaken for white, and let out a "Oh fuck, Near!" before quickly slamming the door shut again. He turned in panic and put his back against the door, as if to make the person outside it vanish.

"What the hell, Mello?" Matt paused his video game, and looked at Mello. "Who was that?"

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**Review? Let me know if this one would have been better off staying inside my brain where it belongs.**


	2. Chapter 2

**New writing? Finally. **

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"What the hell was that?" Matt repeated, raising his eyebrows.

"Nothing," Mello shook his head quickly. He shrugged his shoulders, trying to look casual. "You know. Salesman."

"Uh-huh," Matt nodded, disbelief etched in his features. "And why did you just shout 'near'?"

"Oh, that. He was uh… standing awfully close. You know how I am about my personal space. Heh." He gave a weak chuckle. "So uh…"

_Change the subject,_ he thought desperately. "Uh…" _Change the subject, change the subject!_ "It's kinda cloudy outside."

If he could have smacked himself on the head without Matt noticing, he would have. _That was the worst subject change of all time._

"It's cloudy outside?" Matt repeated incredulously. Mello nodded. "Outside, where the …salesman you just slammed the door on is."

"Yes."

"Okay." Matt made a move to unpause his video game before saying, "You're the weirdest fucking guy I know, Mello."

"What else is new?" Mello muttered as he peeled himself away from the door. _Maybe if I just ignore him, he'll go away. _Deciding that was probably his best course of action, Mello turned to go to the kitchen. He was fairly certain some of the dishes in the sink were working on growing new life forms.

"So what was he selling?"

Mello froze. "Huh?"

"The salesman." Matt's eyes never left the TV. "Just curious."

"Um…. Knives?"

"Knives?" Matt let out a short laugh. "I'm surprised you didn't jump all over that."

"Just didn't feel like talking today," Mello replied. "In fact," he added under his breath, "I don't really feel like talking to him ever again."

"What?"

There was a slight creak that Mello could identify as Matt vacating his spot on his couch. _Wow, that's sad,_ he thought, _I even know what he's doing without looking. I need a life… or a Matt to magically stop being straight. _

"Nothing. Oh hey, I'm gonna stop by the store tonight after work. Is there anything you-" The question died on his lips as he heard the front door being opened. For a moment he stood frozen, and then the sound of Matt saying starting to talk snapped him back to reality. "Shit. Shit, shit, shit." He made a very undignified scramble for the living room. _Maybe I still have a chance. Maybe I saw wrong, and it's not him at all. Maybe-_

No, it was definitely him. Mello came to halt a few feet back from the door, which was now open to fully reveal the one person in the world he really, really didn't want to see right now. Or ever.

"Mello." Mello stood; jaw clenched tight, as the familiar voice said, "Aren't you glad to see me?"

"Oh yeah," Mello managed to find the sarcastic switch and flip it on full-force. "Just thrilled." He moved quickly to the door and grabbed it, attempting to shut it on the visitor once again. "So glad you stopped by, but we're just really busy right now. Try again later."

"Mello." Matt, who had been standing to the side, looking mostly bemused by the events, caught the edge of the door and pushed it back. "Mind explaining? I mean, I know you're not the most polite guy in the world, but this is a new low even for you."

Mello took a deep breath, before spitting out through gritted teeth. "Fine. Matt, meet Near. My younger brother."

"Really?" Matt looked taken aback. Mello wasn't surprised. Near was small, thin and his hair was so blonde it was practically blinding. Mello on the other hand was tall, lanky but still with a bit of a build to him, and his hair was the more common golden variety of blonde.

"Really," Mello sighed. He turned his attention back to Near. "What are you doing here, Near?"

Near's familiar tenor, the one that made Mello want to grab the nearest fork and stab his eye out with it, answered. "What, can't a person just stop by to see their only sibling?"

"No. Not when it's you, they can't"

Near made a small tsk-tsk sound with his tongue. "Temper, Mello, temper. You've always had such a vicious one. Guess that's why the business never worked out for you."

"The business?" Matt interjected with a curious tone.

"Don't," Mello said sharply in reply to Near. Then, turning to Matt, "Maybe you should…"

Matt held up his hands, backing away, "Hey, it's cool, I get it. I'm sensing some very unresolved family tension here anyways. I'll be in my room if you need me."

"Well," Near raised his eyebrows at Mello. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"Not even one tiny bit," Mello smiled coldly. _Damn, _he thought,_ I could be watching Matt's ass as he walked away, but instead I get to stare at this ugly fucker. Life is just a bitch._

"Don't you want to know why I'm here?"

"Nope."

"Mello, I-"

"Oh my god," Mello started laughing, the stress of the situation getting the better of him. "It's hilarious," he said between chuckles, "How you think I give about a damn about anything that you have to say after all the shit you've pulled."

"I only did what-"

"Yeah, yeah," Mello waved his hand, ignoring Near's remark. "You only did what was right for the business. Well how fucking noble of you," he spat out, not laughing anymore. "So no, I don't care why you're here, I don't care that you found me, because really what were the chances you wouldn't? I don't care about you Near. So if you could kindly get the hell away from me now, that would be great."

Near sighed. "It's sad, really," he said. "You had so much potential. But that's not why I'm here. I need something."

"Go buy it. I'm sure you've got enough money."

"Something I can only get from you."

Mello snorted. "What could I possibly give you that you couldn't get on your own. Look around," he indicated his apartment with a sweeping gesture. "I work my ass off and barely make minimum wage."

"I need a place to stay."

Mello's eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

"You heard me."

"I know, but I still repeat, what? Like I said, you've got money. If you need a place to stay go stay at a hotel." He paused. "Or better yet, why don't you go _buy_ a hotel. Dad would be so proud."

"I can't stay in a hotel this time and I don't really have the time to explain it right now either. Can I stay here or not."

Mello pretended to take a moment to consider it. "Not."

"Hmm." Near shrugged his shoulders a bit. "That's too bad. And I was looking forward to meeting your roommate too. What's his name… Matt was it?"

Mello's eyes narrowed. "What are you- Don't you even think-"

"And Matt… he's aware of your… preferences, right?

"You wouldn't-"

"So," Near flashed a smile that didn't quite make it to his eyes. "I guess you won't have any problem helping your brother out then. Right?"

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**I love writing terrible people. =] Review? Drop a line with your opinion on the story so far. =]**


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